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Having rewatched the classic episode, the late 90s diner set almost hurts my eyes because the decor is so bright and busy. I really don'know what the producers were thinking at the time... It's true - would Fisher really have dinner at the diner, even casually, when it is frequented by so many students. Dropping in for a takeaway lunch or coffee, but he wasn't really the sort of person who would eat dinner there on a regular basis when it seemed all they served were burgers and chips. I guess you could argue it from a point of view of him supporting Bobby's and Ailsa's business. To which Ailsa would always reply, "Oh Alf"

I just meant what episodes does he have.

I'm sorry to hear that. I hope she stays as well as she can be. My mother had it for many years before dying in a nursing home. When visiting her, I got to see many other people who were also afflicted with this terrible condition. Real life dementia bears no relation to the ridiculous depictions I've seen onscreen. Does anybody really want to turn on the TV and see their favourite star sitting silently in a chair, staring blankly into the distance and struggling to eat liquidized food? Unfortunately, that is the way most people with dementia end their days. There are no dramatic lucid patches or Hollywood endings. They just fizzle out and it can take years. It's not a demise that's TV friendly, and that's why writers like to speed things up with another illness.

The late 90s diner looks like somebody vomited a shell suit all over the set. I assume they burned it down to put it out of its misery.

Don never really hung around and was usually there in quiet periods and was mainly having coffee and reading the paper. And as for Alf "What's the world comin' to when a bloke can't have a flamin' cuppa in his own wife's establishment?"

Meg's leukemia storyline began when she and her mother moved to Mr Fisher's old house (927). Blake instantly took a fancy to Meg when he and Simon helped Meg's mother move her things into the house. Then there was a misunderstanding about Alf allegedly having an affair with Julia Bowman, which is cleared up only after Alf is allowed to explain to Alsa that he had been comforting Julia because of her daughter's death sentence. Blake finds out about Meg's leukemia after a nosebleed she had (942), and Meg is forced to tell Blake the whole sorry truth (947) after he tried to deny his crush on her. Meg was forced to tell Mr Fisher after she fell asleep in class (952), then she told her girlfriends (953). Meg used as much of the life she had left as possible, to spend as much time with Blake as she could, to the detriment of her mother. Julia was only allowed so much time with her daughter before she was returned from the beach dead (976) after Meg and Blake watched the sunrise together.

Neighbours always did it too whenever a family member turned up ("Bye Shane, Hello Henry!" "Poor Kate...oh, wait...Daniel's Here!" and so forth!"

And there was me thinking it was cruel when they gave Pippa amnesia and put her through his death one more time...

It wouldn’t surprise me if they were the first as they looked like they could be newer builds.

It’s going to come down to advertising costs/fees and presumably Home and Away is too niche (soap aimed at a younger audience) for the Channel 5 advertisers, but fits for 5STAR, probably from the crime aspect. Make 5USA 5International and it’d fit right in.

Far too sensible.

I think that was a good reality check Eden gave Dana telling her you were fine with Cash breaking rules when it suited you .

I'm sure the first Look figures are closer to 300k and is the only thing that rates like this on 5star. (looking at thinkbox ratings reports) and as per the ratings on 5 which were around 250k mark (we know only 80k ish were live at 13:45)I would bet my bottom dollar that 5 are hoping to nudge the first Look ratings to closer to 500k in getting the ones who normally pvr the lunchtime to either switch to streaming (presumably this will count towards the ratings of the 5star ep) and/or record the 5star showing instead to count towards the +7 day ratings there. This would also put it comfortably ahead of hollyoaks as the ratings wouldn't be split so much. However, let's see. I'm not sure how many people are capable of doing it. Generally people are reluctant to change, particularly habitual viewing, and ive already seen comments online line like "I can't get 5star" even though we all know that if you can get 5 you can get 5star. It's going to take a few weeks for people to find the show this year I reckon.

Would H&A still be able to run in Australia without UK backing? Neighbours couldn't, but H&A is internally produced by 7 and has generally always performed better in the ratings. Would another UK network pick it up if Channel 5 dumped it? I guess that would depend on the level of financial investment required.

Well, you know, we already had them and then for some reason people were desperate to talk about the First Look/Streaming in this thread instead of the one they already had. I mean, if you're going to be picky the 6pm's been a repeat for about 20 years!

I've been through something very similar to the Matheson girls, and Dana's behaviour is very true to life of the siblings who isn't prepared, in any way, to offer a way back. It's a good storyline, so far.

Yep, I've just unpinned the 5Star thread, and you can now discuss episodes here at 5Star/streaming pace

I don't think I've ever seen an explanation of the "lifetime deal", and whether it really means C5 are obliged to buy the show for as long as 7 want to produce it. Even if that was the deal, I'm sure it could be renegotiated. It is strange though that C5 gave up on Neighbours, but continued on with H&A, when it was less popular. I can't see how axing H&A from the main channel can be a good thing, but perhaps figures for the lunchtime slot were so low that the number watching on 5Star or On Demand are enough to make it profitable. As they're still buying the show, I don't know how dropping it from the main channel could save them any money, unless they think it will drive more viewers to the On Demand service, which I assume they make a profit from through advertising. H&A must cost C5 less than what it makes in advertising revenue. If it was losing them money (as they said Neighbours was, if I remember correctly) then surely they would look for a way out of the contract ASAP. The beginning of the end? Hard to know. It does push H&A further out of the mainstream. If this change means that total viewing figures fall, I could see that as leverage to negotiate a cheaper contract. I'm sure H&A will continue for a few more years at least, as no doubt they'll want to celebrate the 40th anniversary in 2028, and surpass Neighbours in terms of longevity. Having said that, for some reason H&A doesn't seem to celebrate milestones any more.

Catching up on recent eps, it blows my mind how little some characters interact. When did Mack and Maz have a scene together, or Abby and Jo, or even Mali and Leah. The show is split into a few groups with very little crossover now, which it never was like.

Does anyone happen to know the date that Meg Bowman's death was shown in the UK? I know it was in either November or December 1992 but would be interested to know the exact date? I recently acquired some unlabelled VHS tapes with early 90s content and this episode plus some of the ones surrounding it have appeared alongside non H&A content so it would be good to know the date of Meg's death so I can pinpoint the date of the other tape content. PS, can anyone remind me what the episode number of Meg's death is? Pls.

Good point I never thought that it was weird they didn't ask Brax for help. Him and Ricky's final episode was kinda weird. Brax had such a big build up to his return (which was good on his initial return) but this felt so rushed. In the space of a few minutes, Brax returns, announces he's now free with no details really, then asks Ricky to leave the bay with him in a few hours. Then he's not seen again until they they quickly leave. I don't know if the town ever found out or acknowledged it. The Braxtons were mentioned quite a few times over the years but none really acknowledged Brax alive outside of Dean, Nate and Ash. Kat seemed to know at some point but it was implied Ash had told her at this point as they were now back together.

Just looked at what's replacing H&A on Channel 5 - films. So nothing better and probably worse. Well done C5. Sure that's going to bring in a lot of new viewers and keep your old ones.

Did you see him during Ray Meagher's This Is Your Life? (It's on YouTube if you haven't watched it). Norman chose not to travel to the event, but recorded a nice video for Ray. It was lovely to see him again, but you could also hear and see how old he now was. He was 70 when he finished playing Donald, and maybe just wanted to enjoy his retirement. I'd say the only reason he did that episode of Rosewood is because they filmed it reasonably near where he lives now. Have you ever heard the 'Don't let the old bastards go' story? (link here). The general gist is: when some of Home and Away's younger actors started to move on, a memo was circulated around the production office with that comment on it. The memo leaked, and the 'old bastards' including Ray, Norman and Judy Nunn sat down with 7 for a little chat. It's impossible to tell how true the story is, but Ray Meagher is one of the highest paid actors on Australian TV. If the rumour is broadly correct, then Norman did very nicely from his long run on Home and Away and doesn't need to work. He had an interesting life before he became Donald Fisher. Running restaurants in England and owning a vinyard is quite a life.

Meg's first episode is 927 if that's what you're looking for.

The cycle repeats itself every 2.5625 days (2 days and 13½ hours). The last cycle began yesterday at 8:32pm AEDT going by the times advertised on the site or app. It runs for 137 episodes covering the period from the beginning until October 6, 2022. The episodes covered are: 0, 21, 86, 156, 169, 243, 328, 525, 582, 757, 838, 975, 1030, 1186, 1298, 1662, 1717, 1766, 1878, 1996, 1913, 1936, 2036, 2140, 2158, 2251, 2252, 2295, 2366, 2497, 2553, 2552, 2600, 2920, 1912, 2998, 3190, 3215, 3235, 3236, 3277, 3278, 3286, 2960, 3420, 3536, 3651, 3538, 3670, 3723, 3755, 3773, 3806, 3805, 3808, 3996, 4077, 4102, 4121, 4146, 4211, 4215, 4237, 4257, 4274, 4330, 4326, 4401, 4579, 4610, 4382, 4683, 4770, 4771, 4848, 4905, 4916?, 4948, 5215, 5283, 5327, 5377, 5437, 5452, 5466, 5534, 5585, 5620, 5656, 5725, 5813, 5873, 6051, 6066, 6196, 6406, 6349, 6415, 6582, 6756, 6757, 6781, 6810?, 6810?, 6821, 6826, 6863, 6910, 6973, 7038, 7039, 7040, 7041, 7042, 7043, 7157, 7212, 7226, 7270, 7272?, 7273, 7280, 7359, 7461, 7512, 7585, 7590, 7620, 7662, 7671, 7687, 7742, 7745, 7795, 7710, 7851, and 7901.

I wonder if the actress needed to be written out and that's coming down the track. But Home and Away has always been very good at female characters when it comes to denial and grief, right back to when Pippa lost Tom; she went through that again with Dale and then Michael and they carried that on when Sally lost Flynn.

Totally take your point Red Ranger after Don’s last appearance in 2007. However, I wish Norman could come back one last time. I guess the show is so wildly different these days as well that he just wouldn’t fit in. Indeed, I find it hard to visualise Donald Fisher in post 2011 Home and Away.

The Home and Away Early Years instagram posted an "Oh Michael" video a while back. You could see him going bald in real time

Maybe all the partying in his footy days took its toll plus with those three daughters of his. Surprised he didn't bald ala Jim or Philip on Neighbours

The actor who played Rhys already looked about 60, and that was before he moved to Summer Bay.

Thanks ever so much for this helpful information

I mean, I guess it could be done, but Dan Bennett's pitch sounds like a deeply depressing tale bringing back a beloved character as a lonely, broken old man who we gradually watch losing the little he has left.

It would bring a realistic finality to the character if tackled sensibly and sensitively and I think Coburn would be with it (at least a few years ago). ANYTHING would Better than what he got in 2007. Norm himself isn't in bad Nick for 88 based on a recent photo but him returning long-term is off the table.

Oh yes I always thought Justin should have gone with her Let face it Leah’s no fun lol Shame the actress has died

I'm always kind of grateful he didn't get to do it. Don's last stint was depressing enough without him wanting to take it to the next level. Better the past be ignored than spoiled!

Nice crew jolly to Taronga Zoo though.

Shelley would likely be in a reduced role as a colleague and we'd only get a glimpse of her home life in the event with only the girls being regulars.

Brendan McKensy succeeded Lewis Devaney sometime in Q4 '98 after the character's 3 month hospital stay after the accident (surely Alf and Ailsa would have noticed their son had come home three years older and a foot and a half taller with a chip on his shoulder?) and Rian McLean appeared in June 2003.

The whole scene was hilarious! Colleen's face was a picture, aftermath wasn't so funny though. In fairness, they served Nachos and Salads too! and the odd Jaffle The old Diner was looking a bit behind the times (at least to folks) So they decided to outbling Bonza burger in the "ours is bigger" game. I think Bobby would have winced at first, laughed and eventually leaned into the late 90s design.

Tbf, Lou and Sam may have been plot device they had some big, fat consequences (Irene having an alcoholic relapse while on remand and Jack H and Martha in the frame)

I'd be curious to know that too, since they've included the deaths of forgettable guest characters (i.e. Lou DeBono, one-time villian Sam Holden) but not some of the classic early years deaths like Ken Smith and Stephanie Mboto. I've been discussing that in details in another thread though. Meg's death is always one of the talked-about moments in featus/retrospective that the average viewer would be forgiven for not knowing she was only a short-lived guest character. I feel like Laura's death was just for shock value, whereas Meg's death was a drawn out storyline (does anyone know how long? I haven't really watched that era?).

The Laura thing was to "make more of" Curtis and add to Ailsa's strain, which was like a game of Buckaroo eventually something had to give!

Fair point. Somewhere like Salt wouldn't have existed back in the 90's. The Diner went through a brief phase of doing evening meals when it got moved in 2008, but it was very quickly moved next door ISTR. It was a much more working class show back then, compared to how upmarket everything looks today.

Incidentally, 5 have announced their new lineup today: 9:15am - 11:30am: Jeremy Vine 11:30am - 12:45pm: Storm & Alexis 12:50pm - 2:00pm: Matt Allwright 2:00pm - 3:00pm: Vanessa So they've basically axed Home & Away for more debate shows.

Switzerland, but luckily turns out that the latest batch of new channels added to our Swiss TV listing include 5Star though it's a long way down the list.

I wouldn't bother recording now as it's not HD on linear anymore, so I'll be 100% app only now.

Okay, can we stop now with the bikini fixation as it's becoming way over the top. I'm sure there's more suitable places for such discussion, with people of similar interests, elsewhere on the internet. Writing characters off as pointless simply because they didn't get a bikini scene—or because they were "too ugly" in your eyes—is not only quite repugnant, but the latter is also against our forum rules.

It's hard to see how Ailsa would have fitted into the post 2000 years, especially with Shauna and Duncan exiting relatively quickly after her death. The older characters (Alf, Fisher, Irene, Colleen) were largely sidelined in the early 2000s, so it's likely Ailsa would have been too had she stuck around. I wouldn't be surprised if it was a mutual decision between Judy and the producers, especially as the show was clearly heading into a new era at the time. Judy has said many times she was getting bored of the role and claimed she was writing her novels on the back on scripts, so if that was obvious to the producers, I wouldn't be surprised if the producers didn't put up much of a fight to persuade her to stay. Ironically, Judy left because she was getting bored of the role yet the late 90s were probably some of Ailsa's biggest years on the show. The Shauna reveal, the car accident and paranoia about Alf wanting her dead, dealing with teenage Duncan, PTSD after the diner siege leading to her almost shooting Alf, getting caught in the mudslide, the story with her estranged brother etc. This came after spending most of the early 90s serving at the diner or being a supporting character in her foster children's stories.

Channel 5, the UK network, have announced loads of FAST channels but no H&A one.

So all Australian soaps seem to have been booted from Channel 5 in the past few years. At least H&A is surviving elsewhere.